landon



J. LANDON & F, W. MARTYN.

sm PROPELLED VEHlCLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-22. I915- 1 ,266,495. Patented May 14, l918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET ll 2m fiww v W c 15x2 W J. LANDUN & F. W. MARTYN.

SELF PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED 141111.22. I916.

1,266,495. Patented May 14, 1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J. LANDON 6': F. W. MARTYN.

SELF PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAII.22. I915.

Patented 'May 14, 1918 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

rm :vr" v J. LANDON=& E. w. MARTYN.

SELF PBOPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-22.1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

fnvenbors Patented May 14, 1918.

ALEQJ QY UnrrED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

JESSE LANDON AND FREDERICK WILLIAM MARTYN, OF WATFOBD, ENGLAND.

snLr-rnorELLnn VEHICLE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JEssE LANDON, ofAysgarth, St. J ohns Road, Watford, in the county ofHertford, England,and FREo- ERICK WILLIAM MARTYN, of 18 Granvill road, Watford, in thecounty of Hertford, England, subjects of the King of Great Britain andIreland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'or Relatin to Self-Propelled Vehicles, of which the fo lowing is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements inself-propelled vehicles of thetype which are provided with a depressible wheel or wheels or likeanti-friction device or devices adapted to raise one pair of wheels ofthe vehicle oil the ground surface and mechanical means operated fromthe engine or prime mover of the vehicle for rotating said wheel orwheels in one direction or the other so that the vehicle maykfl aeturned in a restricted space around a vertical axis situated within itsown length.

The object of the improve the construction of such devices, and accordinto our invention we rovide .--a self-prope ed vehicle with a gui' efixed to or mounted upon one of the axles of the vehicle, a block orlike member carrying the auxiliary wheel or wheels ada ted to slide insaid guide and provided with a pair of racks, two spur pinions engagingsaid racks through apertures in the guide and mounted upon atransverseshaft carried in bearings on said guide and a reversible chainor like drive for said auxiliary wheel or one of said wheels.

The invention also consists in the articular construction of devicehereina or described with reference to the accompanying drawings whichillustrate the manner of carrying out the invention.

Figure Isis a fragmentary view illustrating the fronl' portion of avehicle constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a. similar view to Fig. 2 showing the disposition of the partswhen the vehicle is to be turned.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a side sectional elevation, frontelevation and plan showing'on a larger scale a portion of the apparatusshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation on the line Specification 01' Lettersratent.

present invention is to I A--B of Fig. 8 showing a, further detail on alarger scale;.

Fig. 8 'is a section'upon the line C-D of Fig. Incarrying our inventioninto efiect in its application to any usual form of fourwheeledmotor-driven vehicle we provide upon one of the vehicle axles, as forexample 1 upon the front axle a, a guide or bracket b within which ablock or plate c or like fitting is slidably mounted, the block or thelike carrying at its lower extremity a pair of arms or brackets-d uponeach of which a small wheel e, roller, or like anti-friction PatentedMay 14,1918. Application am March 22, 1910. Serial No. 85,762.

device, is mounted, although it will be unj derstood that a sin le wheelarranged centrally in respect of the block may be em ployed if desired.j

The fitting is provided with a pair of racks f adapted to be engaged bytwo spur wheels 9 mounted upon a s aft it carried in bearings upon theguide 6, the-shaft It being adapted to be rotated by handby means of aworm i and worm wheel is or other suitable gearing Or by power-operatedmeans, the arrangement being such that while normally the wheels 6 arein the raised position shown in Figs. -1 and 2 they may be depressed bymeans of the racks and pinions so as to raise the front portion of thevehicle oil the surface of the ground into the position shown in Fig. 3.v

When the vehicle is in the raised position shown, for example, in Fig.3, one or both of the traversing wheels orrollers is or are adapted tobe driven from the engine or prime mover of the vehicle or from anyother convenient source by suitable chain belt or the like so that thevehicle is turned or pivoted upona vertical axis of rotation untll itassumes the required position. When the traversing wheels or the likeare arranged upon arms or brackets the latter may, if desired, be formedin an arc ,of a circle, the center of which coincides approximately withthe center of the back axle, and it is then found that the rear wheelswith their attendant differential gearing will readily accommodatethemselvesto the turning or pivoting movement of the car or vehicle.

In the construction illustrated one of the traversing wheels e isprovided with a chain wheel I which is adapted to be driven by means ofa chain m from a oounter'shaft n (Fig, 8) on which are mounted two bevelthe vehicle dependingupon which of t beveled wheels is at the momentbeing em plo ed.

fl he bevel wheels 0. and p are ada ted to be driven by a third bevelwheel 8 w ich is the vehicle by worm and worm wheel or other suitablegearin Suitable means sufii, for example, as the spring-controlled levert carrying a chain wheel at its end may be employed or taking up theslack in the chain m as the wheels or the like e are returned into theraised position shown in Fig. 2.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a self-propelled vehicle thecombination of an'axle, a guide upon said axle, a member slidable insaid guide, a pair of wheels spaced apart and carried at the lower endof said member, means for depressing said member to raise the vehicle apower shaft for driving one of said whee s, a chain drive connectingsaid power shaft with said wheel and means for automatically taking .ugthe slack in the chain drive as the slide member is moved into itsraised position.

2. A vehicle turning device comprising: a vertically movable membermounted 'ad jacent one end thereof, oppositely extending arms carried bythe lower end of the vertically movable member and projecting laterallytherefrom with relation to the Inn tudinal axis of the vehicle, wheelscarried at the extremities of said arms in tandem relation to eachother, means for lowering said vertically movable member to raise thecorresponding end of the vehicle, and means for rotating one of saidwheels to swing the vehicle about the other end as a pivot.

, driving able member is tion.

of said member, racks upon said member,..

bearings upon said guide, a transverse shaft carrie said bearings,pinionsupon said shaft engagin with said racks, means for saidmember,bearin upon said guide, a

transverse shaft carried by said bearings,

pinions upon said shaft engagin with said i racks, means for drivingsaid s aft, a reversible chain drivefor-rotating one of said wheels, andmeans for automatically takin said s aft, a chain drive for rotatv ingsaid anti-friction wheel and means for rotated from the engine or primemover of up the slack in said chain drive as the sli 7' moved into itsraised posi- 5. A vehicle turning device comprising a guide mounteduponone axle of the vehicle, a member vertically movable in said guide,

lower end of the vertically movable member and projecting laterallytherefrom with relationto the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, 7 wheelscarried at the extremities of said arms in tandem relation to eachother, a

JESSE LANDON. FREDERICK WILLIAM MARTIN.

oppositely extending arms carried by the

